Ian Callaghan

Ian Robert Callaghan MBE (born 10 April 1942) is an English retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He holds the record for most appearances for Liverpool.[1]

Ian Callaghan
MBE

Callaghan in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Ian Robert Callaghan
Date of birth	10 April 1942
Place of birth	Toxteth, Liverpool, England
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1959–1978	Liverpool	640	(50)
1978	→ Ft Lauderdale Strikers (loan)	20	(0)
1978–1981	Swansea City	76	(1)
1979	→ Canberra City (loan)	9	(0)
1981	Cork United	2	(0)
1981	Crewe Alexandra	15	(0)
Total		762	(51)
National team
1966–1977	England	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Liverpool

Callaghan with Liverpool in 1966

Callaghan played 857 times for Liverpool between 1960 and 1978, breaking into the first team just after the appointment of Bill Shankly as Liverpool manager. He was a regular member of the first team by the time Liverpool won promotion to the First Division in 1962, and went on to help them win the league title in 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976 and 1977, as well as the 1965 and 1974 FA Cup Finals, the UEFA Cup in 1973 UEFA Cup Final and 1976 UEFA Cup Final, and the European Cup in 1977 and (as a substitute) in 1978. He was voted FWA Footballer of the Year in 1974.[1] He was booked only once in his career, in the 1978 League Cup Final replay at Old Trafford, which Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest.[2]

Callaghan played in the 1977 European Cup Final, when Liverpool beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3–1. But in 1978 European Cup, which proved his last year at the club, his playing time was reduced as younger additions like Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish established themselves at the club. Callaghan was on the substitutes' bench when Liverpool retained the cup against FC Brugge in 1978.

Later club career

He left Liverpool shortly after the 1978 European Cup final and signed for Swansea City, managed by former Liverpool striker John Toshack. He helped Swansea win a second successive promotion in 1979, which took them into the Second Division, and also had brief spells playing in the USA, Australia and Ireland towards the end of his career. He spent the final season of his career in the English Fourth Division with Crewe Alexandra, making 15 appearances in the 1981–82 season and retiring as a player in his 40th year.[3]

England

Callaghan also played four times at senior level for England.[4] Although he was in the squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, he did not play in the final and so did not receive a medal. Following a Football Association-led campaign to persuade FIFA to award medals to all the winners' squad members, Callaghan was presented with his medal by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street on 10 June 2009.[3]

Callaghan's second England appearance came against France on 20 July 1966. His next appearance was against Switzerland on 7 September 1977, aged 35.[4] This gap of 11 years 49 days between appearances is the longest such interval for any England player.[5]

Honours

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1963–64,[6] 1965–66,[7] 1972–73,[8] 1975–76,[9] 1976–77[10]
• Football League Second Division: 1961–62[11]
• FA Cup: 1964–65,[12] 1973–74[13]
• FA Charity Shield: 1964 (shared),[14] 1965 (shared),[15] 1966,[16] 1974,[17] 1976,[18] 1977[19]
• European Cup: 1976–77,[20] 1977–78[21]
• UEFA Cup: 1972–73,[22][23] 1975–76[24][25]
• European Super Cup: 1977[26][27]

England

• FIFA World Cup: 1966

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool[28]	1959–60	Second Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	–		4	0
	1960–61	Second Division	3	0	0	0	2	0	–		5	0
	1961–62	Second Division	23	1	5	0	0	0	–		28	1
	1962–63	First Division	37	2	6	0	0	0	–		43	2
	1963–64	First Division	42	8	5	0	0	0	–		47	8
	1964–65	First Division	37	6	8	1	0	0	9	1	55*	8
	1965–66	First Division	42	5	1	0	0	0	9	0	53*	5
	1966–67	First Division	40	3	4	0	0	0	5	1	48*	4
	1967–68	First Division	41	3	9	0	2	1	6	3	58	7
	1968–69	First Division	42	8	4	1	3	1	2	0	51	10
	1969–70	First Division	41	3	6	0	2	0	4	2	53	5
	1970–71	First Division	23	0	5	0	1	0	5	0	34	0
	1971–72	First Division	41	2	3	0	3	0	4	0	52*	2
	1972–73	First Division	42	3	4	0	8	0	12	1	66	4
	1973–74	First Division	42	0	9	0	6	3	4	0	61	3
	1974–75	First Division	41	1	2	0	3	0	4	1	51*	2
	1975–76	First Division	40	3	2	0	3	0	12	1	57	4
	1976–77	First Division	33	1	5	0	2	1	7	0	48*	2
	1977–78	First Division	26	0	1	0	7	0	6	1	41*	1
	Career total		640	49	79	2	42	6	89	11	857	68
USA			League		Open Cup		–		North America		Total
Fort Lauderdale Strikers	1978	NASL	20	0	—		–		—		20	0
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Swansea City	1978–79	Third Division	40	0	—		—		—		40	0
	1979–80	Second Division	36	1	—		—		—		36	1
	Career total		76	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	76	1
Australia			League		–		–		–		Total
Canberra City (loan)	1979	NSL	9	0	—		—		—		9	0
Ireland			League		FAI Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Cork United	1980–81	LOI	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Crewe	1981–82	Fourth Division	15	0	—		—		—		15	0
Career total			762	50	79	2	42	6	89	11	979	68

* Includes one appearance in the FA Charity Shield

^ Includes one goal in the FA Charity Shield

References

1. "Appearances". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
2. "A timeline for Liverpool Football Club – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
3. "World Cup 1966 winners honoured". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
4. "Ian Callaghan". England Football Online. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
5. "England players - Longest interval between appearances". englandfootballonline.com. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
6. "League table for the 1963–1964 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
7. "League table for the 1965–1966 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
8. "League table for the 1972–1973 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
9. "League table for the 1975–1976 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
10. "League table for the 1976–1977 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
11. "League table for the 1961–1962 season – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
12. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Leeds United played on 1 May 1965 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
13. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Newcastle United played on 4 May 1974 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
14. "1964/65 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
15. "1965/66 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
16. "Matchdetails from Everton – Liverpool played on 13 August 1966 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
17. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Leeds United played on 10 August 1974 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
18. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Southampton played on 14 August 1976 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
19. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Manchester United played on 13 August 1977 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
20. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Borussia Moenchengladbach played on 25 May 1977 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
21. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Bruges played on 10 May 1978 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
22. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Borussia Moenchengladbach played on 10 May 1973 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
23. "Matchdetails from Borussia Moenchengladbach – Liverpool played on 23 May 1973 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
24. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Bruges played on 28 April 1976 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
25. "Matchdetails from Bruges – Liverpool played on 19 May 1976 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
26. "Matchdetails from Hamburg SV – Liverpool played on 22 November 1977 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
27. "Matchdetails from Liverpool – Hamburg SV played on 6 December 1977 – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
28. "Liverpool career stats for Ian Callaghan – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". Retrieved 30 June 2015.

External links

• Official profile at Liverpoolfc.tv
• Player profile at LFChistory.net
• Football heroes at sporting-heroes.net
• Thisisanfield.com Forgotten Heroes
• The Ian Callaghan interview at LFChistory.net
• Ian Callaghan interview at Liverpoolway.co.uk